Unethical Website of the Month: Dogsbite.Org [UPDATED]

This despicable website, created by phobics, liars, fools and bigots to promote dog breed prejudice and persecution of responsible dog owners, is discredited by the vast, vast majority of dog experts, breeders, and people with any knowledge of dogs. It is useful in a way, in that its rhetoric mirrors that of the anti-Jewish, final solution advocates of the Nazi regime, and the most virulent American racists, like the KKK. (A dog breed is exactly like a human race.) It also apes the logical fallacies of those who want to ban guns or engage in racial profiling.

Although a mass of data and history proves that pit bull-related breeds are no more inherently dangerous than any powerful breed and arguably less, Dogsbite.Org is leading a vendetta against both the breeds and lawful, loving owners, reasoning that dogfighting uses pit bull-type breeds, and pit bulls used for fighting are more likely to be dangerous (as any dog so abused may be), so to kill two birds with one stone, it makes sense to wipe out not just any individual dangerous dog of the type but any dog that is a hybrid of the a “pit bull breed” and any dog that looks like what people think is a “pit bull”, in part because there is no such breed as “pit bull.”

Pretending that there is some dog-monster known as a The Pit Bull is just one of the lies (or examples of reckless ignorance) perpetrated by hysteric Colleen Lynn and her deadly band of anti-dogowner fanatics on their website. Denver’s infamous pit bull ban, like Lynn, defines the “breed” as “an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one of those breeds.” This rigged methodology renders the statistics repeatedly cited by anti-pit bull bigots obvious nonsense. When one compares one distinct breed to many or more by falsely representing them as one breed, then it’s not hard to show that the fake breed is disproportionately aggressive. Says the site: “If it looks like a pitbull, then it is one.” It is because of this kind of “thinking” that my American Bull Dog-owning friend is forced to buy exorbitant insurance, move, or have his family’s gentle companion killed.

Except that his dog is not a member of any of the breeds fairly belonging into the category called “pit bulls,” which are all terrier mixes. There is no terrier in a bull dog. Never mind, though: this is about hysteria, fear-mongering, legislators who care more about votes than they do about fairness or dogs, official ignorance, and cowardice. This is another of DogsBite’s abundant lies: it claims that most people can identify a pit bull accurately. Even most dog owners are lousy at identifying breeds, and phobics, as well as people who have no experience with dogs, often can’t identify any breeds beyond beagles, Lassie, German Shepherds and maybe chihuahuas.

More people asked me if my English Mastiff was a pit bull than ever identified her correctly. I’ve owned Jack Russell Terriers for 25 years, and more people have asked me if they were pit bulls (actually, they are a lot closer to pit bulls than a mastiff is, or an American bulldog) over that time than identified their ( wonderful, merry, loving and frighteningly smart) breed correctly. The tendency of journalists and police to mistakenly attribute attacks to pit bulls is well-documented, but the website just denies it. It also falsely claims that the American Kennel Club has tried to confuse the public by re-naming breeds in order to disguise what really are pit bulls. The AKC breeds lumped into the imaginary pit bull category all predate pit bull hysteria. When I was growing up, everyone was terrified of Doberman Pinschers (another loyal, intelligent, loving breed.)

The misguided, unfeeling, reveling in ignorance fools who man this website share responsibility for the pain and misery that thousands of families have had to experience when their loving pets and companions have been taken from them by a local government and gassed simply because killing them is part of the warped pit bull “final solution.” Dogsbite.Org deals in bad statistics, debunked fallacies and anti-dog propaganda that has turned into cruel legislation in communities all over the country. Their tactics succeed because craven political hacks would rather kill harmless pets than risk losing the votes of PETA members, dog breed ignoramuses and bigots.

UPDATE 2(1/13/18):

In the future, comments to this post that consist of nothing but repeating the same, disproven myths and ignorant beliefs about the various pit bull breeds will not get through moderation. Any serious, well-researched, civil comments presenting counter arguments and genuine statistics to the facts and expert opinion discussed in these posts are welcome. Citing dogsbite.org as authority will guarantee rejection. Lumping multiple breeds together as “pit bulls” proves laziness, bias and ignorance, and will also result in the comment being spammed. Dumb arguments like “You can’t prove they aren’t pit bulls!” will have the same results.

It is depressing how many people will hold on to a factually unsupportable bias despite every effort to enlighten them, but then prejudice against humans works the same way.

Dogsbite is a well respected source of information regarding serious dog attacks .
If you are going to accuse them of being ” unethical ” you need to provide proof that their reported attacks are incorrect – I bet you can’t disprove a single one !

I would love to provide copies of the various posts where they encourage their followers to kill dogs, adopt dogs from shelters to bring them home to kill them, poison the neighbours dog…or how about the post that one of their members who goes by William Linington/Grant Richter posted seeking anyone in Ontario to find me because I asked, repeatedly for him to provide one peer reviewed scientific study that confirms his opinion…in fact he called me “a pit nutter”. In fact, I have seen expert opinions and peer reviewed science that all concluded that breed is not a predictor of aggression – but this little group, after being asked for the past 3 years, has not yet been able to provide any science to support their claim.

😂😂😂 and what about all the Pit advocates who love to post laughing emojis next to pictures of children disfigured or killed by Pits. And the remarks of using the head of a child decapitated by a Pit as a ‘ball to kick around since he no longer needs it..’ Or harassing victim families telling them they hope their dead children ‘enjoy their rot.!” Or when a group of Pit owners WITH THEIR PITS blocked a memorial to the victims of Pits to keep other from paying their respects. There are 13 peer reviewed studies from pediatric surgeons warning about children and Pit Bulls. Many Vets, Behaviorists and professors have spoken out about Pit Bulls. And, of course, there are the gravestones of the victims.

😂😂😂 Why is it unethical to compile DBRFs by breed? That’s all dog bites is. The only people who don’t like it are the Pit Bull apologists. When you can site a single fatality report as falsified, with credible evidence, you might have a case. But you can’t. Get over it and work to S/N Pit Bulls to extinction. Sent from my iPhone

Oh for God’s sake, educate yourself. There are plenty of links here.There’s no such breed as a “pit bull” to begin with—you’re compiling bites from several breeds, plus misidentification, plus mixes, to back up ignorance and bias. There are no dangerous breeds, just abused dogs. Strong dogs who are abused are more dangerous than small dogs, That’s all.

I don’t like ignorance and deliberate misinformation, plus bigotry and fear-mongering. And THAT’s what the website is.

I assume this is directed at the blog. You’re an idiot, as you previous ignorant posts have shown, and now I know you’re an asshole as well. You can remove yourself from the email alert, you fool: I have no control over them.But as a favor, I’ll ban you from commenting, so we don’t have to read any of your uncivil and dim-witted anti-pitbull breed bile.

Wow. I’ve read some of the comments (loved the article, by the way) and even though I generally avoid battles of wits with unarmed opponents, i must say that if we could ban obstinance and ignorance, these dogsbite people would at least have to go underground. I hear people say, “it’s how you raise them” all the time. That isn’t even strictly true. One of the best dogs I ever had lived as a street dog until he was about 5 years old. It didn’t take him long to become a spoiled couch potato, but it certainly wasn’t how he was raised. It’s simply in their nature to love people and they have enough self confidence that they don’t need to prove anything. All my dogs are rescue dogs. Sometimes you know a little of their background, often not. I also foster dogs until they can find homes. I never have an issue with mine when I bring a strange dog into the house. I am careful with the new one until we know them a little better, but only once, in my entire life, did I have to break up a fight.And mine didn’t want to fight but defended himself until I got the other dog under control, then mine walked away. I am 65 years old, by the way, so that’s a lot of history. I’ve never owned a dog who bit someone. Ever.

Hey Nicholas, perhaps you should read the November 22, 2016 report of the Canadian Ombudsman who confirmed that your weird uneducated hippy actually has no factual content to offer…it is a wonderful report which completely debunks his junk.

DBO does not have any credibility. But the koolaide, now that they have in kegs.

Nicholas, on November 22, 2016 the Canadian Ombudsman released a report confirming that your fearless leader’s (weird uneducated hippy) numbers are completely unreliable and incorrect. You should check it out dude, because that post just made you look silly.

Are you serious? Dogsbite.org is the equivalent of a hate site and I can ABSOLUTELY disprove 5 of them!! My buddy went on there, and made multiple false claims just to get people riled up, and im sure hes not the only one! To say Pit Bulls are any more aggressive then my Shih Tszu is RIDICULOUS! My dog nips more then most puppies!! Keep believing your own hateful B.S., because thanks to REAL FACTS, and STATISTICS, and not lazy, mindless opinions, many opinions on pitbulls have been changed, including the repeal of no Pit Bulls in my town!!

A simple Google or basic research shows that the American pitbull terrier, the American bulldog, and the Staffordshire terrier test in the upper 80th percentile in positive temperament. My pittie is a therapy dog and does well with elders at the nursing home and infants in the nic-u. She cuddles the cat daily and has never once shown the slightest aggression. Please refer yourself to credible veterinary statistics and the American kennel club. The notion that pitbull type dogs are 1) a specific breed or 2)dangerous, is absolutely absurd. You say dogsbite is a well respected source of information… Just because it is respected by other ignorant people and morons doesn’t mean it is respectable. I think it would be fascinating to conduct a study on people who believe in breed specific legislation and their correlation to feeling that there are certain races of human beings that are more dangerous, rapists, criminals… (All of that Trumpian nonsense that is fashionable now). I’d hypothesize a direct correlation because ignorance is ignorance and lives to wallow in the stench of itself.

The writer seems to believe the nanny dog fairy tale. So, according to his “logic” , humans decided to enhance gameness, strength and resistance to pain on a breed to make it play and watch children.
In what universe does that make sense?

This writer must be NAIVE or in completely in denial. Or worst, maybe he just doesn’t care.

Hundreds of people and thousands of other dogs are affected by this every year. It’s not about hate, it’s about safety.

All dogs bite, very few can cause damage beyond repair. And the damage os bully breeds is genetic wired to be enhanced.

No, my friend, it’s about stupidity and ignorance The pit bull breeds—which are you talking about, by the way? Do you know? Are they all the same to you?–do not have “locking jaws” or more bite strength than many other breeds, such as my 160 pound English Mastiff, which could, but never would, bite your tiny head off. Of course, mistreat a mastiff and teach it to be aggressive, and you have a dog that will make the most frightening American Pit Bull Terrier run for its life.

Of course, you didn’t read the posts laying out why your position is idiotic. You just want to believe the simple-minded fear-mongering of people who couldn’t tell a pit bull mix from an American bulldog from a boxer mix. I interact with pit bull breed mixes almost every day. I have had close interactions with all of the breeds, and frequently. I allow my little Jack Russell terrier to play with them, roughly, without trepidation. My previous Jack was attacked and wounded by a maladjusted…Basset Hound, who also attacked me.

You still didn’t meet the standards for commenting on this blog post—-that is, more than just the standard false talking points. But I hate banning commenters, even idiots. You won’t be so lucky the next time—unless, of course, you send a legitimate, substantive comment that deals with the fact that no respectable dog authorities agree with anything you wrote here.

The UKC gives this description of the characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier:

The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog. The breed’s natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers so good fencing is a must for this breed. The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable. This breed does very well in performance events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to work.[20]

People who have powerful breeds as pets have to train them competently. It’s not the dog’s fault, or the breed, if a human botches the job. The exact same results occur with badly raised children.

And here’s the ASPCA’s statement. It correctly incorporates the educated and informed conclusions about the breeds and the foolishness anti-breed bigotry. But of course, the ASPCA doesn’t know its business…

Dog breeds are characterized by certain physical and behavioral traits. Each breed was developed to perform a specific job, whether that job is hunting rabbits, retrieving downed birds, herding livestock or sitting on people’s laps. When developing a breed, breeders selected only those dogs that performed their job best to produce the next generation.

Physical abilities and behavior are both important facets of any breed. A well-bred dog should have both the physical attributes necessary to perform its job and the behavioral tendencies needed to learn it. It’s not surprising that individuals of a specific breed tend to look and behave somewhat similarly. Pointers are more likely than Poodles to point, and sheepdogs are more likely than lapdogs to herd. However, while a dog’s genetics may predispose it to perform certain behaviors, tremendous behavioral variation exists among individuals of the same breed or breed type. It’s also important to note that some dog breeds are now bred for entirely different jobs than those for which they were originally developed. For example, certain strains of Golden Retrievers are now being bred as service dogs, a far cry from their original job of retrieving downed birds.

Today’s pit bull is a descendant of the original English bull-baiting dog—a dog that was bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head. When baiting large animals was outlawed in the 1800s, people turned instead to fighting their dogs against each other. These larger, slower bull-baiting dogs were crossed with smaller, quicker terriers to produce a more agile and athletic dog for fighting other dogs.

Some pit bulls were selected and bred for their fighting ability. That means that they may be more likely than other breeds to fight with dogs. It doesn’t mean that they can’t be around other dogs or that they’re unpredictably aggressive. Other pit bulls were specifically bred for work and companionship. These dogs have long been popular family pets, noted for their gentleness, affection and loyalty. And even those pit bulls bred to fight other animals were not prone to aggressiveness toward people. Dogs used for fighting needed to be routinely handled by people; therefore aggression toward people was not tolerated. Any dog that behaved aggressively toward a person was culled, or killed, to avoid passing on such an undesirable trait. Research on pet dogs confirms that dog aggressive dogs are no more likely to direct aggression toward people than dogs that aren’t aggressive to other dogs.

It is likely that that the vast majority of pit bull type dogs in our communities today are the result of random breeding—two dogs being mated without regard to the behavioral traits being passed on to their offspring. The result of random breeding is a population of dogs with a wide range of behavioral predispositions. For this reason it is important to evaluate and treat each dog, no matter its breed, as an individual.

While a dog’s genetics may predispose it to behave in certain ways, genetics do not exist in a vacuum. Rather, behavior develops through a complex interaction between environment and genetics. This is an especially important consideration when we look at an individual dog versus a breed. Many diverse and sometimes subtle factors influence the development of behavior, including, but not limited to, early nutrition, stress levels experienced by the mother during pregnancy, and even temperature in the womb. And when it comes to influencing the behavior of an individual dog, factors such as housing conditions and the history of social interactions play pivotal roles in behavioral development. The factors that feed into the expression of behavior are so inextricably intertwined that it’s usually impossible to point to any one specific influence that accounts for a dog becoming aggressive. This is why there is such variation in behavior between individual dogs, even when they are of the same breed and bred for the same purpose. Because of the impact of experience, the pit bull specifically bred for generations to be aggressive may not fight with dogs and the Labrador retriever bred to be a service dog may be aggressive toward people.

Early positive experiences, most notably socialization, are considered key in preventing aggressive tendencies in dogs. Puppies that learn how to interact, play and communicate with both people and members of their own and other species are less likely to show aggressive behavior as adults. Given the powerful impact of socialization, it’s no surprise that dogs that are chained outside and isolated from positive human interaction are more likely to bite people than dogs that are integrated into our homes. Unfortunately, pit bull type dogs that find themselves in these conditions may be at greater risk for developing aggressive behavior. But because these factors are ones that can be controlled by better educated owners, it is possible to reduce these risks, not just in pit bulls but in dogs of all breeds.

The reality is that dogs of many breeds can be selectively bred or trained to develop aggressive traits. Therefore the responsible ownership of any dog requires a commitment to proper socialization, humane training and conscientious supervision. Despite our best efforts, there will always be dogs of various breeds that are simply too dangerous to live safely in society. We can effectively address the danger posed by these dogs by supporting the passage and vigorous enforcement of laws that focus, not on breed, but on people’s responsibility for their dogs’ behavior, including measures that hold owners of all breeds accountable for properly housing, supervising and controlling their dogs. Breed neutral “dangerous dog” laws, “leash laws” that prohibit dogs from running loose off their owners’ property, and “anti chaining” laws can control the behavior of individual dogs and individual owners and thereby help reduce the risk of harm to people and other animals.

Laws that ban particular breeds of dogs do not achieve these aims and instead create the illusion, but not the reality, of enhanced public safety. Notably, there are no statewide laws that discriminate based on dog breed, and 18 states have taken the proactive step of expressly banning laws that single out particular breeds for disparate legal treatment. Even the White House has weighed in against laws that target specific breeds. In a a statement issued in 2013, President Obama said “[w]e don’t support breed-specific legislation—research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources. And the simple fact is that dogs of any breed can become dangerous when they’re intentionally or unintentionally raised to be aggressive.”

All dogs, including pit bulls, are individuals. Treating them as such, providing them with the care, training and supervision they require, and judging them by their actions and not by their DNA or their physical appearance is the best way to ensure that dogs and people can continue to share safe and happy lives together.

Evidently you forgot to list the UKC’s disqualifications which apply to APBT Characteristics: Viciousness and extreme shyness. And also their end note on APBT dog aggression. Funny that you would omit those imporant points when quoting the UKC APBT breed standard…..

AFTER the breed description, it says,Disqualifications: Viciousness or extreme shyness. That proves my point, you lying dolt. That means that those characteristics are atypical, and should be avoided when they appear. See, dummy, for humans we would put “disqualifications: stupidity, bigotry, paranoia, homicidal tendencies. That doesn’t mean or suggest that such traits are inherent or typical.

I’m sick of arguing with you imbeciles. I have a sock drawer to organize. Go watch some Nickelodeon.

Again, well said sir. I have tried my hardest to convey the message about our dear mutts. My husband was a dire “they can’t be trusted, they are dangerous” until he met one. With my nattering and his introduction to Chance he changed his mind. Then a co worker said that I was crazy, they have locking jaws. I felt defeated but told him he was full of it and told him why. One person at a time but dam there are some idiots out there.

I’m sure this week’s 3 year old pit bull fatality victim saw worse than glowing red eyes and felt more than pit bull breath on her while in that thing’s death grip as it mauled the life out of her. I mean come on, how many more kids are going to die this year because Mom and Dad fell for the pit bull “science’ you’re pushing? People actually believe these dogs have the best “smiles” due to the unusual anatomy and physiology of their head and jaw musculature for God’s sake….

Kids will continue to be hurt by dogs, all types, as long as immigrant dog owners and irresponsible parents allow small children to come in contact with dogs without close supervision of both the dog and the child. The second I heard about that attack, I wondered how a dog was in a position to hurt a child, and sure enough, 1) the dog was new to the home, and the dog had been “taken in” by the irresponsible father 5 days earlier. Dogs do not immediately adapy to new homes and owners. The dog was probably anxious and on edge. The father left the dog without anyone in the house who the dog knew. The grandmother neglected the child, who opened a door to where the dog was running free and unsupervised to “play.” Some dogs don’t respond well to small children, especially if small children had harmed the dog in the past. (What did the father know about the dog he had suddenly adopted? Obviously not enough.)

The only two participants in this tragedy that cannot be blamed are the dog and the child. The father, the grandmother, and the friend, who might well be ripe for a lawsuit. You are pushing the “Think of the children!” approach to serious issues that require logical analysis, not emotional hysteria. This had nothing to do with pit bulls (the dog looks like a Staffordshire mix) and everything to do with negligent dog ownership and parenting. There are lesson to be learned and publicized, but the won’t be if all the focus is on the breed. If the lesson aren’t learned, more kids and dogs will die.

“Unusual anatomy and physiology of their heads”???” I mean, do you exist with your head up your butt? Pit bulls have no different anatomy or physiology than any other dog. The AVMA is very clear abut this.

I mean seriously, you folks just make crap up. I enjoy it as it shows how unbalanced and uneducated the DBO followers (all 12of them) are…

This is mirrored by “scientists” in the 1850s that explained how “Negro heads” were special and couldn’t contain sufficient brains. No dog has more “unusual anatomy” than any other. Pit Bull breeds are obviously dangerous because they have heads like pit bull breeds. Brilliant.

Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like have a dog in your life that you wouldn’t feel the need to rush to it’s breed’s defense every time someone is critically injured, killed by one and have to fight/debate over BSL being discriminate and unfair? Haven’t you ever wondered if your defenses are the very reason you own such a potentially volatile animal that most common sense people are leary of or deathly afraid of? Haven’t you ever wondered if you actually enjoy the fear, the conflict, the never-ending battle of excusing the pit’s propensity to kill children and adults and people’s pets? Maybe you lack empathy for the victims of horrific pit bull maulings because you’re blinded by the selfish bizarre desire to own a mauler and never give a thought to their pain, their tragic losses and injuries that never quite heal. You really need to wonder why you gravitate towards an animal that is a constant conflict and danger in and out of the news–it really makes zero sense when there are so many much more desirable dogs to choose from but maybe you really do need and like the dark side of pet ownership so much that you will never know any better.

“Common sense” people are still prone to irrational fears, especially when those fears are exploited and encouraged by the media. Case in point, I once owned a pet tarantula growing up. Even though it was always in its terrarium, and it’s bite was non-lethal anyway, there were people who would not be in the same room with it. You can thank horror movies and ingrained arachnophobia for that.

Imagine if somebody started an underground Aryan Fight Club, which is exposed when a few of the fighters from that club go on a killing spree. The news media starts reporting murders committed by blond-haired, blue-eyed people, and each blonde-haired, blue-eyed murderer makes national news. Then the media starts reporting murders committed by blondes, not even mentioning if they’re natural or dyed, or even mentioning their eye color. Faux historians start cataloging past incidents of murders and other violence committed by blonde blue-eyes (of course the Holocaust gets prominent mention). There’s a huge outcry against blonde-haired, blue-eyed people, with even just blondes being subject to suspicion, hate crimes, and “anti-blonde” legislation. When cooler heads point out that until the Aryan Fight Club, blonde-haired blue-eyed people weren’t an issue, they get shouted down with, “What about the media reports, what about this atrocity and that atrocity committed by Aryans? I don’t care what the science says, I don’t care how many people say they know decent blondes, ALL THESE REPORTS SHOW A PATTERN!”

First a Pitbull….forget it, DBO by another name…perhaps you could be so kind as to provide the peer reviewed scientific study regarding the genetics of dog breeds in correlation to aggression that supports your unfounded position.

We will wait…as we have for years…please just share.

In the interim, below is the peer reviewed scientific study results which concluded, unequivocally, that breed is never a predictor of aggression.

I would take this opportunity to point out that the study was conducted by experts in the field, with credentials that support their study, not some weird and uneducated hippy with no expertise in science, animals or data collection…oh, and it was a controlled study, not a bunch of figures made up by an uneducated hippy surfing social media (yes he told Radio Canada that is how he makes up his numbers).

Peer reviewed research that supports the contention that “pit bulls” are inherently dangerous more than other dog breeds? No, they aren’t out there, because no respectable research shows that. I think you misread what Chandra wrote.

First a … oh hell, hey DBO under another name – the problem with your statement about bites from a bully breed being any different that another dog is this:
“According to fatal-dog-bite expert Karen Delise, it is impossible to look at injuries resulting from a dog attack and determine what breed or type of dog was involved. In fact, Delise says “If you’ve seen enough autopsy photos like I have, if what they are saying is true, that pit bulls inflict injuries unlike any other dogs well then you should be able to look at a photograph of a person that received a severe dog bite and tell me what breed did it. But you can’t. I mean I’ve seen hundreds of hundreds of photos and you can’t tell the difference from one breed or type of dog to another. If a dog intends to inflict a severe bite it’s going to inflict a severe bite.”
You see, the experts and scientists all seem to say the same thing, your weird uneducated hippy is actually just duping you – not the rest of the world…but definitely his 12 koolaide drinking followers.

@First a Pitbull, if it was truly about safety then her website would be about educating owners, promoting spay and neutering and promoting training and responsible ownership. If it was truly about safety, then she would post ALL dog attacks and fatalities. I researched all dog bites/fatalities for 5 years. Wrote them all down and continued to follow through with each report. This was way before I even knew about Collen or her website. Yes it was very overwhelming and hard to continue some days, but then I would notice common attacks. It wasn’t the breed but the circumstances. Most of them are male, and unneutered. Most of them were outside dogs. The worst part were the attacks on children and babies. They also shared a common reason, “The child was left alone with the dog”. You can kill all Pit bulls and pit bull type breeds, but there will still be fatalities and attacks. How about instead we educate owners and hold them more reliable for their irresponsibities. Instead of just putting a dog down after it harms or kills someone, they are ordered to pay all the victims bills. On top of that, they no longer should be allowed to own another dog. This should go for all dog breeds.

The mindless repetition by the Pit Bull propagandists of such nonsense like “It’s how you raise them” or “It’s not the breed, it’s the owner” is getting tired and played out, especially since these often used phrases keep surfacing in the comments section of stories detailing horrific Pit Bull attacks on a daily basis.
Not Beagles. Not Chihuahuas. Not Yorkies or Cockers. Pit Bulls.
Every. Single. Day.

There is an epidemic in this country of savage dog attacks on children, other animals, and even elderly people. In the overwhelming majority of these attacks, the dogs are remarkably similar in appearance. Blocky head, wide set jaws, almond shaped eyes, etc……
In other words, Pit Bulls.

Pit apologists try to ignore this pit bull epidemic by insisting that any dog that ISN’T a card-carrying, purebred, AKC registered American Pit Bull Terrier can’t be considered a “Pit Bull”.

Using that ridiculous standard, that means that ghettos and trailer parks across the country that are FULL of “pit bulls” aren’t really full of Pit Bulls, even though the rednecks and hang bangers that own them brag about how bad-ass their “pit bulls” are.
How convenient is that? They can summarily dismiss nearly every single mauling or mutilation by “Pit Bulls” by claiming that “It’s not a Pit Bull!” even though the half-retarded owner of the dog has a bumper sticker on the back of their car that says ” I ❤️ My Pit Bull.”
News Flash: A Pit Bull doesn’t need to have papers in order to be a “Pit Bull”, just like a Beagle doesn’t need papers to be a Beagle.
The pit nutters use conflation, junk stats, exclusionary comparisons, and false equivalences to try and convince themselves that Pit Bulls are no more dangerous than a Retriever (the asinine “any dog can bite” argument).

Pit Bulls are deadly animals. The morons that own them are willfully ignorant to the inherent danger of these dogs. The result of this combination of lethal animals and brain dead owners is mutilated children and innocent pets ripped to shreds.
Pit Bulls (the TYPE, not the BREED) maul, maim, disfigure, dismember, disembowel, mutilate, and KILL more than all other types of dogs COMBINED.
This is the undeniable FACT that the pit nutters try to deny.

But ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS. And the ACTIONS of these dogs continue to speak louder than the WORDS of the pit nutters.

But tomorrow, and every day after, when ANOTHER pit bull mauls ANOTHER person, the nutters will take a break from their busy schedule of rampant drug use and domestic violence to jump onto the comments section of the news article to defend these useless pieces of canine garbage.
Look at the ACTIONS, not the WORDS.

I’ll deal point by point with your entirely misleading, ignorant and insulting screed—suggesting that I engae in either drug use or domestic violence because, unlike you, I actually know what I am writing about triggers automatic banning here, and is the essence of an ad hominem attack—but at least your comment has actual points that can be addressed…which I will do after I work with the civilized and thoughtful readers of this ethics blog.

Just this now: my anology between the pit bull breed hysteeria and human racism has never benn shown more correct than when a phrase like “useless pieces of canine garbage” is used to describe not one breed but three to five, and based on the conduct of individuals under varying circumstances, used by the dull-witted to generalize about a group. Thanks for that.

Mr Marshal, why is there a FB page titled Our Pets were Attacked by Pitbulls? http://www.facebook.com/pitbullskilledmypet
If pitbulls are no more aggressive than other breeds, then why are there no similar pages for other breeds?? Why no “Our Pets were Attacked by Poodles” FB page?? (haha you see it just sounds ridiculous) Why no “Our Pets were Attacked by German Pointers” page? Why no “Our Pets were Attacked by Terriers (non-pitbull)” page? Why is there no pages like these for other breeds???? In the age of social media, IF other breeds were attacking at the same rate as pitbulls we would know about it with social media posts and FB pages dedicated to that!!! BUT they are not, so we are NOT seeing those posts and those pages!!! Why is that? Because these breeds have never killed a human EVER, so most likely will not maul another dog!! Take a look at the terrible injuries and deaths of innocent dogs, usually smaller breeds, that are committed by pitbulls on that page!! Do you think it’s fair to allow the ownership of a dog aggressive breed (there is no denying pitbulls are dog aggressive, even the Pitbull Federatin of South Africa states this, so don’t even go there) in a country with so many dogs, meaning they are brutally killed FOR NO REASON!!

As an ethics person, do you think it’s ethical to prioritize the lives of one breed, the fighting pitbull, over the lives of numerous other breeds, and say well I don’t care about the lives of all those other breeds as long as we can own our pitbulls?? Doesn’t matter that pitbulls kill and injure multiple other breeds each and every day, as long as I fullfill my selfish want for a breed that has no purpose in today’s society since it was bred for a sick bloodsport, then I’m fine with that!! IS THAT ETHICAL???

You can’t say the pets on that page are not real attacks, there is no reason someone would post fake pics, and take a look at the huge gashes who would do that to their dog intentionally?? So the attacks are REAL, and there are more than those on that page, I see more each day that are not posted to that page.

SO IS THAT ETHICAL, or is it UNETHICAL?? All evidence would point to unethical, and not just a little unethical but SUPER UNETHICAL!!!

And pit owners don’t want to be held accountable for the actions of their maulers either, a high majority of them either take off from the scene of the attack, do not help pay medical bills, and/or try and hide evidence or their mauler from animal control. IS THAT ETHICAL??

Face it, PIT OWNERS ARE UNETHICAL!!

Even their breed itself is unethical, as it was bred to fight an UNETHICAL sport of dog fighting!! Hahah, I got you mr. Ethics, there’s no escaping this time, like a scared pit owner whose pit has just attacked an innocent dog at the park.

I’ve got you on two ethics questions, and I don’t see any escape route, it’s UNETHICAL!!

If pitbulls are no more aggressive than other breeds, then why are there no similar pages for other breeds??

The absence of evidence doesn’t prove anything. Basic principle. And “pit bull” is not a breed, you idiot. That statement alone would get you banned, but I don’t think Chandra should have all the fun.
“… BUT they are not, so we are NOT seeing those posts and those pages!!! Why is that? Because these breeds have never killed a human EVER, so most likely will not maul another dog!! Take a look at the terrible injuries and deaths of innocent dogs, usually smaller breeds, that are committed by pitbulls on that page!! Do you think it’s fair to allow the ownership of a dog aggressive breed (there is no denying pitbulls are dog aggressive, even the Pitbull Federatin of South Africa states this, so don’t even go there) in a country with so many dogs, meaning they are brutally killed FOR NO REASON!!”

It was nice of you to so transparently display your hysteria, lack of critical thinking skills, and lazy refusal to research the very facts you are claiming to be true. Let’s see…let me pick a breed at random—a real one– without a FB page about violent attacks. Here’s my Jack Russell terrier, Rugby:

do you think it’s ethical to prioritize the lives of one breed, the fighting pitbull, over the lives of numerous other breeds, and say well I don’t care about the lives of all those other breeds as long as we can own our pitbulls??

The technical term for a statement like that is “straw man argument.” Here: learn something.

Doesn’t matter that pitbulls kill and injure multiple other breeds each and every day, as long as I fullfill my selfish want for a breed that has no purpose in today’s society since it was bred for a sick bloodsport, then I’m fine with that!! IS THAT ETHICAL???

See above.

You can’t say the pets on that page are not real attacks, there is no reason someone would post fake pics, and take a look at the huge gashes who would do that to their dog intentionally?? So the attacks are REAL, and there are more than those on that page, I see more each day that are not posted to that page.

SO IS THAT ETHICAL, or is it UNETHICAL?? All evidence would point to unethical, and not just a little unethical but SUPER UNETHICAL!!!

You really don’t know ethics from tapioca, do you? A dog owner who does not take proper care of his or her dog, obey the laws on enclosure and leashes, and is an irresponsible owner, neighbor and citizen is unethical. The photos may or may suggest someone was unethical, including the owner of the wounded pet. An individual who is a responsible owner of any dog is not unethical, and photos of harm done by a different dog, even one that may look like the responsible owner’s dog, do not make the responsible dog owner unethical. See, if you actually read the content at Ethics Alarms, you might stop making stupid arguments like this.

And pit owners don’t want to be held accountable for the actions of their maulers either, a high majority of them either take off from the scene of the attack, do not help pay medical bills, and/or try and hide evidence or their mauler from animal control. IS THAT ETHICAL??

No. What does that have to do with the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not to mention the American bull dog, pit bull mixes, and any other dog some hysteric thinks is a deadly “pit bull”? (Hint: NOTHING.)

I was going to finish this, but my stupid quota was reached with “Face it, PIT OWNERS ARE UNETHICAL!!”

[ Hi! This isn’t Johnny, this is Jack, the moderator. Johnny is banned, which means he won’t be getting any more comments up here. First, he is just ranting nonsense, complete, wild hysteria about “pit bulls” and Facebook and how they exist to kill all other dogs.

Second he’s not very bright, sadly, and easily triggered the Ethics Alarms rarely used “too stupid to comment on an ethics blog” rule. I assumed he would answer my semi-playful response to his previous dumb comment with one that was even worse, and he did. I hate banning people, I really do. But people like Johnny make the First Amendment look bad, and they can do that someplace else.

The Banned Johnny sent in what he felt were convincing “studies”–there was one real study, and it was a really bad one. It used hospital records to conclude that “pit bull terriers” had the most bites and lab the second most. But since there is no such breed as “pit bull terriers.” what we can figure out is that the four-six breeds that the hospital would call “pit bull terriers” combined would lead in bites by shear numbers and probability, and it makes sense that labs—hardly a vicious breed—are second. It’s the most popular breed in the US. naturally, the crack researchers never figured this correlation out. The study didn’t bother with the circumstances of the attacks or the locales. (Dogs used in dogfighting are more likely to bite.) The other “studies” were newspaper reporters counting incident reports, again conflating breeds. And there was an anecdotal tale about a “pit bull” that bit the face of a small child at a party—when small children eating food were at dog level. I saw a horrific accident when a husky went for a piece of cheese a 4 year old was stuffing in his mouth. Got the kid right in the throat. Absolutely the dog owner and the parent’s fault. We had an 160 lb English mastiff that was the most gentle dog in the world. We had her at the park on a leash, and some idiot let their 3 year old walk right up to her and bonk her on then nose. My dog did nothing, just backed up, but she could have snapped, and everyone would have blamed the dog. I had nightmares about that incident.

Everything you posted above seems to indicate you follow the weird uneducated hippy with no expertise in science, animals or data collection, who proudly told Radio Canada he makes his numbers up by surfing social media. I would like to point out that the same weird uneducated hippy wrote an entire article on how racist “pit bulls” are….so, you can understand why I am looking for some kind of evidence that is based on facts I am sure.

There are NOT daily Pit Bull attacks, but ok snowflake, nice try. Pit Bulls do not even attack more then an average dog. My best friend growing up had a Pit Bull and this dog was a huge baby. He even allowed the smaller dog to push him around, so to say it’s not about how you treat them is horse shit, get a clue

Like I have said thousands of times. Talk to victims such as Virginia Farley, who is a victim of a pit bull attack, but because she did not want all pit type dogs killed, the dogsbite group and Daxton’s friends group vilified her! They made fun of her, called her names. Called her a pos! Also the girl, who’s brother was killed by her pit bulls, they did the same to her. And they still harass and stalk her! And the latest victim, is the groomer, who works for petsmart, when these vile pos, found out she owned a pit bull, they all said they hoped she was mauled to death by her own dog! What kind of low life victims advocates do this! Of course we all know, that those that join their group get to use the excuse that the pit haters, hate, “My dog was well loved and never showed ” and take no responsibility for what their own dogs did. Like Levi Watson’s mother and older brother. His older brother was breeding and is still breeding pit bull. His dog and dogs his mother had a hand in breeding were responsible for the death of Levi. Yet she gets a free pass. The same with Beau Rutledge, parents! Yet I do see that his mother is quite fed up with these idiots and how they pimp our victims to further an agenda. And I agree, things need to be done to stop what is happening. But it is not a matter of breed, it is a matter of human mistakes. A matter of not having enough education about dogs, ect. And then there is a matter, of these people saying and ignoring attacks by other breeds, or saying that anyone else that is attacked by another breed, and can prove it are lying. Oh and then there is the fact, that, when you post actual links and facts to other attacks by other breeds, that are recent, they totally ignore them. And I have never, ever seen one of these people try to even make an effort to compromise on what should be done. Why should I and my dog carry the burden of suffering for something that was not our fault, or had nothing to do with my dog. But seeing the same idiots are now commenting on this from a few years ago, I thought I would chime in. And this is one thing I will never shut up about. Sorry for the rant.

No apology required–perceptive and appreciated. The logic, or lack of it, used by these people is indistinguishable from racism and all forms of bigotry, attributing the actions of an individual to a group, appealing to emotion and hate, dismissing real facts and reason out of hand because they don’t support a toxic belief system. I find the issue fascinating because it exemplifies how ignorance and emotion drives all kinds of bad movements, policy and legislation, the Holocaust, the rise of fanatic leaders and parties, so much here and worldwide.

I have to respond to this repeated item. The breed-bigots that periodically descend on this post have resorted to cherry-picking trivia as if a single, minor bone of contention undermines the undeniable facts. “They were never “nanny” dogs. Just another Pit nutter story.” says one of the vile batch above. Whether or not the American Pit Bull Terrier was only known the “Nanny Dog,” whether some people called it that, whether that term appears here and there, whether other dogs were commonly used to guard babies and children as well, we know that many families trusted their pit-bull mixes to do this because there are so many photos from the early part of the 20th Century bearing this out. I have a painting from the same period showing an apparent American Pit Bull Terrier with a baby. This reputation is one reason the gang of little kids in the “Our Gang” and “Little Rascals” film comedies had such a dog as a member of the gang. The point of the “Nanny Dog” reference is simply that until gangs and dog fighters started using and abusing pit bull breeds and mixes, nobody thought of these dogs as dangerous, and trusting them to oversee children was commonplace, especially since the dogs were common and esaily available. Terriers generally are fiercely protective of their families, so the big, strong terriers are especially good for this purpose.

“Nanny Dog” shouldn’t imply that many people literally left babies alone with dogs. That would be stupid and irresponsible then, and is stupid and irresponsible now. This photo, for example, is cute and sweet, and it scares me to death. It wouldn’t matter what kind of dog was in that position. The baby is probably safe, but it’s a stupid risk to take.

Hi, Mr. Marshall,
Just gotta agree with you – they’re treacherous that way. Even though THEY’D NEVER PREVIOUSLY MET, the two I have now (different ages, sexes, colors & sizes) both have the same technique of rolling over on their backs the minute someone pets them, ostensibly to solicit even more petting. Coincidence? I think not. It’s obviously a genetic trait developed over centuries of luring people close enough to rip their faces off. It’s a miracle that I still have mine intact after all these pits …

Ha! Just yesterday, my little Jack Russell ran off into a field to greet a big, scary-looking American pit bull terrier I had never seen before. The dog waited, stock still, legs apart as Rugby approached, and I admit, I was a little nervous, especially as I got closer. The pit was as sweet and friendly to me and my dog as he was beautiful.

What do you know! Here’s a news item about a woman mauled and partially eaten by her own dogs. The story doesn’t mention a breed, because the picture shows a dog that couldn’t possibly be called a pit bull, though if some idiot told the reporter that the dogs were pit bulls, you can be sure that this would have been in the story, and enough for “Dogsbite” to include it, because, as it says, if someone thinks its a pit bull, it’s a pit bull.http://www.fox5ny.com/news/mauled-to-death-by-her-own-dogs

This site is absolutely comical. Today I saw an English Lab; just beautiful — an absolutely gorgeous, healthy, gentle-mannered joy of a dog. He was jumping joyfully in and out of the water at a small lake near me. Labs are water dogs, swimming and retrieving comes naturally to them. I learned years ago that this is the result of selective breeding. Guess what he WAS an English Lab –I even confirmed this with the dog’s owner just in case it may have been an Irish Setter or Beagle. It’s just amazing to watch these dogs swim…..

Do you have a point, Scooby? You are ignorantly assuming that the multiple pit bull breeds were bred to kill people. They weremn’t. So if you cross a Lab with an American Pit Bull terrier, you think you get a water killer?

You know exactly what my point is. There is only a slight between the American and the English Labradors, they are both still Labrador Retrievers. Simply put, it is not difficult at all to detect the similarities and differences between a pit bull, bully breed, AmStaff, etc. they are still all pit bulls. I can’t answer your question re: the Lab/pit mixture –could it simply all depend on “raising it right” so that it will be able to swim AND be capable of exploding into unmanageable violence?

As I thought: an ignorant, stupid, unscientific point. Physical breed characteristics are not temperament and disposition characteristics. Your misconceptions have been disproved by studies, research and experts. The various pit bill breeds are also loving, social, loyal, intelligent and happy dogs, as much as Labs, just smarter.

LOL that’s actually humorous; pits are ranked at the lower end of intelligence scales.., they do retain their current title though as No. 1 killer canine — year after year. No breed can outshine the pit for killing the most humans.

Only empirical data here, but I train shelter dogs to help in their adoption. By FAR the smartest dogs I have trained have been the “blocky headed dogs” that are likely he target of your outrage. If they are on the low end of the intelligence spectrum, no one told my students…

dude, you called the guy an idiot like 3 comments up; there’s two other comments just on this page where you call one person an imbecile and another an ignoramus. I came here to learn, wanted to research DBO after being directed there, and see if it was reputable, bc it sure looked scary; your site, and other blogs/articles I’ve come across (esp. the Radio-Canada article: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/802064/donnes-non-scientifiques-anti-pitbulls), have shown me it isn’t.

So, thank you for that. I’m on your side, and I literally don’t have a dog in this fight (never had one). I get you’re passionate about this, rightly so, but I don’t think you’re doing yourself justice replying in that way.

This isn’t “pit nutters” vs. “idiots” (though I’m sure it feels like it most of the time, people who take the time to comment, on either side of “polarizing” issues like this, are the one’s most vested), it’s facts vs. fictions, and it’s honestly off-putting when I see people with the facts on their side lowering themselves like that.

You’re not going to change anyone’s mind by name-calling; when what someone says is so egregious (like the above), either ignore it, bc you think they’re past ever changing their mind, or reply with facts, and try to; don’t belittle them for being misinformed.

Not sure why I commented this, I guess just as someone who considers themselves part of the silent, generally confused, majority, when I find facts, I like them to speak for themselves. Just food for thought I guess. Thanks for the informative posts, glad I found your site.

I re-read the comments that prompted that diagnosis. I’ll stand by them. If someone wants to make an idiotic argument, they have consented to being called on it. That’s not name-calling. I’m not saying their opinions are wrong because they are idiots; I’m saying their opinions prove they are idiots.

I have a stupidity rule here. I want intelligent debate, not blather and prejudice. If someone can make a coherent, fact-based argument that an entire group of breeds are inherently deadly and should be exterminated, I’ll listen politely.

The anti-pit bull arguments make exactly as much sense as racism. None. Can I call racists idiots? Because, you know, they are. No difference, in my rule book.

Over on liveleak.com there’s an alarming number of “pit bull” haters that want nothing more than to see any dog that’s considered “pit bull” killed, tortured, etc. The website has become a lot less gory but there’s still some things. Any ways, I feel like I’m the only one defending “pit bulls” over there.

Interestingly enough, there is another website that’s pretty much just gore where the majority defends “pit bull” breeds and posts stuff about other breeds. The other site is not like liveleak where videos of other breed attacks quickly disappear or never appear, and only “pit bull” videos get upvoted, and then they just go on their little disgusting comment rampages in disturbing detail, yet they know nothing about dogs.

When I was a kid, the feared dogs were ones kept by the alcoholics and other substance abusers.
When they came into town, regardless of breed, they’d slink around their owners feet, looking fearful. Not knowing if the next thing coming their way would be a half-eaten sandwich or a kick.
Every now and then one would be egged to charge a passer by, only to be reeled in at the last moment – if the leash held – to racouos, drunken laughter
If you had to pass through their ‘hood, the dogs would charge the fence, running alongside, barking their heads off.
It was the subject of fearful speculation what would actually happen if one of them left their yard and took up chase as we passed on our bicycles.
No one in my circle of friends – or our parents – had any concept of the breed being the key factor here.
Sure, a big “junkie dog” was scarier than a small “junkie dog” but that’s simply capacity for harm.
Just like climbing trees become scarier by height.
We had junkie Collies, Junkie Shepherds, even a Junkie Dalmatian where the local substance abusers hung out.
Fast-forward a few years and the “pit bull” enters the scene.
And I have to say, often treated as an animated fashion accessory, toy and ego boost.
I’ve lost count of the number of male owners I’ve seen encouraging the dog to show aggression in a public place.
Or the number of female owners being dragged every which way as the dog fancied.
But to me, they were nothing more than the childhood threat of the “junkie dogs” in a new shape.
I’ve been bitten several times, in situations where it really shouldn’t have happened. (no drama, no emotions running high. Chance, everyday casual encounters). German Shepherd, a Malinois, a street cross, an american bulldog. No Pitts.
But I suppose banning pitts – stupid and difficult as it it – is still easier than banning stupidity and irresponsibility in humans. Society tend only to punish those traits after the fact.